Follower for filing-receptacles.



A. T. WEISS.

FOLLOWER FOR FILING RECEPTACLES.

APPLICATION men OCT. 30. ms.

1M r Patented M1213, 11915.

THE NORRIS PETERS 00., FHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGI'UN, D. C.

cairn eras ran'r FETCH.

ALBERT T. WEISS, F ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO YAWMAN .80 ERBE MFG. 00., OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FOLLOWER FOR FILING-RECEPTACLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1215.

Application fi1ed October 30, 1913. Serial No. 798,234.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALBERT T. Wnrss, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Followers for Filing-Receptacles; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to filing receptacles such as are used in o'llices, libraries, etc., for thefiling of letters and papers under the vertical system and it relates more particularly to followers or compressors therefor, the object of my invention being to provide a simple, cheap and efiicient follower the construction of which is more particularly adapted for formation from sheet metal in connection with a similarly formed receptacle such as a drawer for metallic furniture.

The improvements are directed in part toward reducing the over-all depth or thickness of the follower to increase its range of movement and the capacity'of the receptacle in which it is employed.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section through a file drawer and follower constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention;-Fig. 2 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the follower, the View being taken in transverse section through adjacent side and bottom walls of the container, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate the same parts.

In the present particular embodiment of the invention, the receptacle consists of a drawer having a front wall 1, side walls 2 and a bottom wall 3, all of sheet material, as indicated. The upper margin of the side wall 2 is surmounted by a plate 41 bent to form an inwardly opening channel 5 having a downwardly turned retaining flange 6. The bottom 3 is provided with a longitudinal depression or channel 7 within which is located a retaining and guide rod 8 of the usual type extending through from the front.

The follower consists of a plate 9 having rearwardly turned flanges 10 and 11 at its top and bottom edges, respectively, and rearwardly turned flanges 12 at its side edges so that the'front is left flush to flatly engage the contents against which it is pressed and the rear is dished to accommodate the devices hereinafter described. Secured at 13 to lateral portions of the plate and on' the rear side thereof are angular guiding shoes 14, forwardly or rearwardly turned portions 15 of which are of greater Width than the lateral openings in the channels 5 which they closely fit and in which they are guided to slide, being retained by the flange 6. The members 14: extend through suitable openings in the latera flanges 12.

Arranged centrally on the back of the follower is a preferably fiat draw rod 16 movable vertically in guide slots 17 and 18 in the top and bottom flanges 10 and 11, respectively, and also guided on a pivot pin 19 on which is mounted to turn an operating member for the rod in the present form of a plate 20 having a finger portion 21 projecting above the top margin of the follower. A rearwardly or outwardly projecting pin 22 on the draw rod 16 cooperates with a curved slot 23 in the plate 20 which is eccentric to the pivot 19. The lower projecting end 24 of the draw bar below the flange 11 has an opening 25 therein through which the rod 8 passes and the under side of the adjacent portion of the flange 11 is reinforced with a friction plate 26. The digression of the slot 23 in the operating plate 20 is such that when the finger piece 21 is rocked to one side it will pull the draw rod 16 upwardly and clamp the guiding and retaining rod 8 against the friction plate 26, effectually preventing longitudinal movement of the follower along the drawer in its other guides, while a reverse movement releases the rod 8 by thrusting the draw rod downwardly again. The rod 8 is preferably and almost necessarily slightly flexible for these purposes to permit it to go up and meet the drawer rather than make the drawer come down and meet it.

Other and general functions and purposes of the rod 8 and follower are thought to be too .well, known in the art to merit further treatment here. I

. I claim as my invention:

1. The combination witha filing recepprojecting end cooperating with the retaining device and operating means for the draw bar mounted on the follower.

2.The combination with a filing receptacle having achannel in its bottom and a follower retaining rod located in the said channel, of a follower movable in the receptacle and having a rearwardly turned slotted flange at the bottom thereof, a draw bar on the follower guided in the slot in the flange and having an opening in its lower projecting end through which the retaining rod passes, a friction plate on the under side of the flange accommodated within the channel above the rod and means on the follower for operating the draw bar to clamp it against the rod, and the latter against the friction plate.

ALBERT T. WEISS. Witnesses:

RUSSELL B. GRIFFITH, H. E. STONEBRAKER.

Gopiea of this patentfmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, T I Washington, D. G. 

